Green Bench Monthly - Vol 2, Issue 1, January 2017

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Contributors

Amy Beeman Nicole Brand Luke Cross Jadyn Gonzales Jack Spinrad Alan Venable

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Keep Saint Pete Local Think Local First Every Day: Guest Editorial by Olga Bof

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Roser Park Hidden, Hilly, & Historic

Photo Credits

Cover and photos for Indi-Ed and Blue Cypress Payroll

by Kelly Nash Photography Photo of Roser Park, “Charles” Oak by Beth Reynolds/Morean Arts Center

Publishers

Ashley & Tony Sica

Contact

PO BOX 76095 St. Petersburg, FL 33734 (727) 280-5406 info@greenbenchmonthly.com

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8 Indi-ED

Kids Get a Hands-on 14

Education from Real World

Experiences

Downtown Doggie Center Offers A New Leash On Life

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Local Artist Spotlight Featuring Nathan Beard:

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Monika’s Cleaning Service Cleans Your Home the German Way

Direct-mailed to 15,500 homes in zip codes 33701, 33704 and 33713.

Neighborhoods included in our mailing:

Allendale Park, Allendale Terrace, Crescent Heights, Crescent Lake, Downtown, Euclid-St. Paul, Five Points, Greater Woodlawn, Historic Kenwood, Historic Old Northeast, Magnolia Heights, North East Park, Snell Isle, & Woodlawn

Blue Cypress Payroll Homegrown Solutions for St. Pete Businesses

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Community Events & Local Happenings

Pictured below: Exit Music #46 (Slow Down)

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Editors

Cristina Juska Nadine Maas Pam Sica

Inside this issue

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Think Local First every day A Guest Editorial by Olga Bof Did you “shop small” on Small Business Saturday? It’s great if you did, but what about the other 364 days? Our local businesses need your support year-round, not only during the holidays, because they’re not merely exhibits the rest of the year. They’re living, breathing entities with owners who are struggling, just like you and me, to pay bills and put food on the table e-v-e-r-y day. That’s why we all need to “Think Local First” every day.

If I asked you to name your favorite business in St. Pete, I can bet it’s a locally-owned one.

It’s likely that you even know the owner. Perhaps that business is owned by a friend, or neighbor, or even a member of your own family. Our local business owners are the first to donate to causes that are close to our hearts and they do so at more than twice the rate of national chains. Our local businesses are owned by people who live here, raise families here and make Saint Petersburg a place where our children can stay to build their dreams. They’re invested in our community’s future because they are an integral part of our community … and our community matters.

We’re incredibly blessed that many of the businesses in our city are local and independent.

Unfortunately, they face unprecedented competition from larger chain competitors, internet merchants and franchises that enjoy national or international branding power and major economies of scale. We need to support our community-based businesses because they are essential to a vital local economy and St. Pete’s unique character.

Did you know that local businesses are collectively the largest employer nationally and, therefore, provide the most jobs to residents in our community?

Not only do they create more jobs (and more high-paying ones!), but they also encourage more prosperity. They’re a training ground for future generations of entrepreneurs.

Also, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and local flavor.

Isn’t that one of the main reasons you live here? Maybe you even moved here because of it … our local flavor! However, that local flavor can become a double-edged sword. The more

interesting and special we are as a community, the more we attract others who want to visit or move to Saint Petersburg. The more popular we become, the more attention we receive from national chains that also want to move in.

The key here is for each one of us to support and preserve what makes us unique! Every time you spend money you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want. Every dollar you spend is a vote for how you want the world to be, and who you want to control it! Spending at our local businesses won’t just keep more money in our community (two to three times more than spending at a national chain!); it’ll keep our community how you want it to be!

Also remember, it’s not just about “buying” local goods and services, but being local … eat and drink local; go to our local artists’ exhibitions and shows and buy their art/music; support our local sports teams; and, give local. It’s as important to support our local nonprofit organizations with your volunteer time and donations as it is to support our independent businesses with your spending.

If you live here, then please give here!

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Pledge to make 2017 the year you “Think Local First” every single day because if you don’t buy local, it’s bye-bye local.

Think Local. Buy Local. Be Local.

Olga Bof

Founder/Executive Director Keep Saint Petersburg Local KeepSaintPetersburgLocal.org (Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram)

Keep Saint Petersburg Local is a non-profit organization, affiliated with the American Independent Business Alliance (www.amiba.net), working to build a thriving local economy and a unique community. We do this by nurturing connections for and acting as the voice of locallyowned, independent businesses and by raising awareness of the importance of buying local.

Don’t miss LOCALTOPIA, St. Pete’s largest “Community Celebration of All Things Local,” showcasing over 200 of our city’s favorite independent businesses and community organizations on February 4th from 10 am to 5 pm at Williams Park. Learn more here: KeepSaintPetersburgLocal.org/ Localtopia

Roser Park Drive, St. Petersburg, FL circa 19--?

Roser Park - Hidden, Hilly & Historic

by Jack Spinrad

Have you ever heard of Roser Park or even know where or what it is? I happened upon it one day, quite by accident after making a wrong turn. I had heard it mentioned over the years and figured it was just another one of St. Petersburg’s many neighborhoods.

Southbound on Dr. Martin Luther King Street, I made a forced left onto 7th Avenue South when the lane I was in ended, but another vehicle kept me from changing lanes. “Okay,” I thought, “I can just take this down to 4th Street,” but I soon found it didn’t go through. Rather, it turned right onto Roser Park Drive South and crossed 8th Street South.

I was amazed to find myself on a hill, in an area of the city that was far different from anyplace else in the city. On my left was a concrete-lined creek, complete with footbridges. It was as though I had gone back to a quieter time in a beautiful park-like setting,

surrounded by old homes built in a variety of styles: craftsman, bungalow and several revival styles, Mediterranean, colonial and Tudors, among others.

These beautiful old houses had for the most part been lovingly restored. I later found out that within the neighborhood’s 270 acres, there are 173 historic structures. The Roser Park Neighborhood—found roughly between 4th Street and 9th Street (MLK) to the east and

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west, and Booker Creek and Ingleside Avenue (11th Avenue South) to the north and south— was added to the National Historic Register in 1987.

Entranced by the historic nature of the area, I wandered the narrow, brick streets in my car at idle speed to enjoy the different styles of homes built on the well-shaded streets.

Eventually, I came upon an old cemetery and stopped to wander among the tombstones. Among the headstones were veterans from both sides of the Civil War. There are two virtually identical monuments, which were erected in 1900, one for the Confederates and the other for the Union side. I found the name was Greenwood Cemetery, and later learned that in addition to the Civil War veterans, St. Petersburg’s first mayor and the man who developed Bayboro Harbor are both buried here, among many other pioneers and notable residents from the early days of our city.

Back in my car, I continued my wanderings until I came back upon the meandering Booker Creek, which played a large part in the development of the area. A pleasant walkway follows along the stream. I just had to grab the camera I keep in the glove compartment and get out of my auto again to take a closer look.

Crossing one of the footbridges, I followed the walkway for a while and came upon a wooden sign that said Roser Park, which stood in front of a green hillside with shaded benches.

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I was amazed to find myself on a hill, in an area of the city that was far different from anyplace else in the city. On my left was a concrete-lined creek, complete with footbridges. It was as though I had gone back to a quieter time...

It was such a pleasant spot that I decided to stop and sit for a while and just enjoy the peaceful scene. Maybe five or ten minutes went by when a tall, dark-haired woman about my own age stopped in front of me and said, “Lovely spot isn’t it? I would guess by the camera around your neck you’re a visitor.”

“Good guess,” I responded.

“Actually, I’ve been writing a series of articles about the history of St. Petersburg for a new magazine called Green Bench Monthly that you may soon find in your mailbox. Roser Park is such a little-known but historic area, and I’m certain people would find it very interesting.”

She replied, “I’ve lived in this area since 1985, when many of the beautiful homes you see were just barely standing. In time, new people who could see the potential of this area started to move into these old homes and renovate them. Some of these homes you see were bought for under $100,000, and most now sell for three to five times that much. You said you were interested in our history. I have a bit of time and am always happy to talk about our neighborhood. How far back would you like me to go?

I could start with 12,000 years ago, when indigenous Indians made their camp along Booker Creek, as it provided them with a supply of fresh water.”

With that she took a seat on the bench. Surprised, I thought

“Charles” Oak, Roser Park. Photo credit: Beth Reynolds/Morean Arts Center residents and the home for nurses at Mound Park Hospital, which became Bayfront Medical Center. He began work on the Roser Park subdivision in 1911 when he purchased a 10-acre citrus grove for $12,000, and continued adding to his holdings by buying up additional parcels in the next few years. However, many people thought he would not be able to make a go of it, saying, “No one would drop money into that mud hole.”

The woman continued her story, “But they were wrong! By 1913, Roser’s subdivision had grown to include 80 homes, including his own mansion at 7th Avenue and 7th Street South.”

She went on to tell me that he also bought up five additional acres along 9th and 6th Streets South, and gifted much of this land, including Booker Creek, to the city in 1918. The newspapers of the day said that Roser was always spending money on the neighborhood, including the park, streets and nurses’ home (Roser Hall), and never accepted any money from the city. After living out his years in the beautiful subdivision he built, Charles Roser died at Mound Park Hospital in 1937 at age 73.

for a minute, “That would be great, but maybe we should just start around the time St. Petersburg started to expand out into this area.”

She paused for a while, thinking, and began, “Well, the area was developed by Charles Martin Roser, who moved here from Ohio, where he owned a cookie factory that made a fig cookie that may have become Nabisco’s Fig Newton. Legend has it that Roser sold his factory and rights to the cookie to Nabisco for a million dollars, which would equal around 19 million dollars today. Nabisco actually claims the cookie was invented by a Philadelphian named James Henry Mitchell, but since there were over 100 bakeries that were incorporated into Nabisco around that time, the company admits that it is possible that Roser was involved in the cookie’s creation. We’ll never know for sure.”

She went on to tell me how after selling his cookie factory, Roser moved to St. Petersburg in 1910 and established himself as a promoter, developer and philanthropist. Among his contributions were Mercy Hospital for the area’s black 7

The woman concluded, “Over the years, with downturns in the economy, many of the old homes fell into disrepair, and in the early 1980s, some who wandered into the area thought they would not be comfortable walking these streets at night. Then around 1989, the turnaround began, and continued until it has become the wonderful neighborhood you see today. There is no place on this earth I would rather be.

Well, nice talking to you, but I better be getting home.”

I thanked her for her time and asked, “How do you know so much about the history of Roser Park?”

“We have a great neighborhood association that has their own website, www. historicroserpark.org, where I learned much of what I know on the subject. You should visit it, too.”

With that she excused herself and walked away, while I returned to my car, spent a few more minutes driving around the area, and headed home. I thought to myself how much I enjoyed my own neighborhood, but Roser Park is a really special place.

For a local history lesson, the class goes on a walking-tour of downtown

Kids Get a Hands-on Education from Real World Experiences at Indi-ED

of students with similar abilities, then build the lesson plans around what the kids want to explore. “Knowing the kids, who they are, what they’re interested in, we design the curriculum over the summer with the state standards and the common core, but with an actual real-life connection to it,” Laurenzi said.

by Amy Beeman At Indi-ED, the incoming students not only chose the What if, when you were a teaching in the Pinellas County blue, green and purple paint kid, there was a school where public school system, last year on the walls, but also helped you were both encouraged and she decided to open Indi-ED to paint them. As a founding given permission to pursue for students in Kindergarten group of 13 kids ranging your individual interests? What through 12th grade, where kids from third to 11th grade, they if enthusiastic and passionate can learn by doing. democratically decided which teachers helped you develop the “There is no reason why rooms should be the classrooms, tools you needed to explore and we need to just force kids to sit the library, and the rooms for learn about how that interest inside a classroom at a desk and individualized work. They are works in the real world by taking try to manipulate situations to be even responsible for cleaning up you to learn from those already semi-real when there are people the lounge after lunch, all a part in the field and letting you and opportunities that you can of taking ownership of their actually do the work yourself? learn from in the real world and school experience.

Christine Laurenzi, founder in general,” said Laurenzi.

While Laurenzi had many and director of a new school At Indi-ED, short for positive experiences in the public called Indi-ED in downtown St. Individualized Education, school system, ultimately she felt Pete, wants that opportunity for Laurenzi and her staff approach that the imposed rigid structure today’s kids. She believes that teaching in a tailored way to each was detrimental to her ability an integral part of education is student. They do this by learning to really educate her students as making real-world connections about the students at enrollment well as she knew was possible. in tandem with standard time and during summer, “The idea of connecting with education. So, after ten years of aligning them into small cohorts kids is always in the forefront…

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differentiating instruction and getting to actually know them as a human not only seems like common sense—but it’s a philosophy that’s also taught [in education], but it’s not necessarily allowed to be applied,” said Laurenzi.

She said whether a child is struggling in school or is in a gifted program, with the realworld approach, all children thrive. “When you watch them, connect with them and then figure out how to gear it towards them, you see the results, and no matter what type of kid it is, it doesn’t matter. They can all do more than what’s presented in the traditional classroom.”

Laurenzi said ultimately her goal for her students “is for them to do what makes them happy in life and to understand their potential. They are completely capable of anything they put their mind to. For parents, it’s for them to be able to understand their kids aren’t broken. They’re completely capable, no matter what a test tells them.”

To learn more about IndiED, go to www.Indi-ED.com or call 727-209-7106.

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Monika’s Cleaning Service Cleans Your Home the German Way

by Alan Venable

Community, honesty, and top-notch cleaning are the focus of Monika’s Cleaning, a local home-cleaning service here in Saint Petersburg. When Monika and Bill started their business a few years back they had just six customers. It went mouth to mouth, from neighbors to friends, before Monika’s Cleaning took off in Saint Petersburg. Now Monika and Bill clean over thirty houses in Magnolia Heights, Old Northeast, Snell Isle, and Woodlawn. They even have a client as far as Palm Harbor!

Because they keep their cleaning business fairly local, they can do three or four jobs a day, sometimes cleaning multiple houses on the same street.

Monika and her husband Bill tackle cleaning projects together to finish in an effective, timely manner. Their business has grown over the years thanks to their unique and first-rate principles.

Monika and Bill are fair and are never interrupted in their duties by a phone call or

text. Business hours are for cleaning, and you can expect a callback sometime outside of the 9-5 schedule. Monika uses her German roots to clean “the German way,” she tells me, which is more thorough and simple. She uses a mop and towels, not Swiffers (basically moving “dirt from the left side to the right,” she says). Monika and Bill ask right away if anyone is allergic to a certain chemical or cleaner and provide options for “green” products, if preferred by the client.

Monika is avid about not cheating her customers. If a two hour jobs only ends up taking an hour and a half, Monika will be the first to let you know.

She treats her customers like family and this hospitality and authenticity are what truly separate her cleaning business from the rest.

Community is very important to Monika and Bill in more ways than one. When they aren’t working, Monika is a director on the board of the German American Society in

Bill and Monika Turner clean over thirty homes in Magnolia Heights, Old Northeast, Snell Isle, and Woodlawn Pinellas Park, and Bill is the treasurer for the Neighborhood Association of Magnolia Heights.

You can reach Monika’s Cleaning at 727-645-7092 anytime, but you’ll need to call outside of 9-5 business hours to talk to them in person.

Otherwise, just leave a message giving a little detail about your cleaning project. Don’t be surprised if you make a new friend or two because of it!

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From left to right: Sydney Wade, Keevy McAlavy, Marcile Powers by Kelly Nash Photography

Blue Cypress Payroll Services: Homegrown Solutions for St. Pete Businesses

By Luke Cross

St. Petersburg is known for its wealth of local businesses and independent startups, all of which contribute to the unique flavor that the city provides. With the incredible growth the Burg has experienced in the past few years, many homegrown businesses are looking for a local solution to help them manage their payroll and other important business processes. The minds behind Blue Cypress Payroll Services address this problem by providing the tools needed for St. Pete businesses to thrive. Blue Cypress is a locally based, family-run payroll management company that offers unique and flexible software built to adapt and grow with up-and-coming clients, as well as established ones.

Despite their title of “Payroll Services”, Blue Cypress is well equipped to handle a wide range of management hassles. Their software manages all employer reporting requirements, along with health and benefit plan administration. It contains multiple employee management tools and is customizable to any unique business model it may face. Every facet of Blue Cypress is built for St. Pete, as their personable customer interactions and careful adherence to state payroll law make for simple, reliable and professional management solutions for local businesses.

Blue Cypress is comprised of three professionals with over four decades of payroll and human resources experience between them. Marcile Powers handles the day-to-day communications and maintains Blue Cypress’ social media presence. With more than 20 years of experience in bookkeeping and payroll management, Sydney Wade is the company’s account specialist, who works

personally with clients. Lastly, Keevy McAlavy, a graduate of the University of South Florida, is the custom software developer for Blue Cypress. The unique programming that lies at the heart of Blue Cypress’ software solutions came about after witnessing the pains caused by inefficient payroll providers firsthand. “I learned from the problems I saw in other services, and fixed them in my software,” McAlavy explained.

McAlavy intends to keep his company here in St. Pete, thanks to both his education and his role as a loving father and husband to Powers and their son, Orion. Blue Cypress is based out of Kenwood, with plans to expand further into western Florida, and is dedicated to keeping their abilities tailor-made for communities like St. Pete. By doing so, McAlavy and his team are able to contribute to the community by supporting the businesses that define it, while allowing the payroll service to stay personal.

Companies that provide these types of business management services often feel cold and uncaring, due to their sheer size, which makes them unable to engage with customers on an individual scale.

McAlavy kept this in mind when designing Blue Cypress. He said, “With other companies, you would call up and either get a different person each time or an automated message, which is a problem.”

By focusing on clients in western Florida, Blue Cypress has the ability to stay personable and friendly, pairing clients with a representative who is familiar with the client’s unique business and problems. This makes for a tight-knit, interactive business community in which startups can succeed.

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greenbenchmonthly.com Orion, the son of Keevy McAlavy and Marcile Powers

by Kelly Nash Photography

Blue Cypress is a payroll provider made by St. Petersburg, and for St. Petersburg.

Providing clients both small and experienced with a personalized means of managing their employees with advanced technology is beneficial for nurturing local development, as well as maintaining our city’s unique culture and vibe. With a conscious motivation to provide

the best service possible to the Bay Area, Blue Cypress is well on track to becoming a key player in fostering the St. Pete local business scene. “Blue Cypress is about keeping money and jobs in the community.” McAlavy stated.

For more information, please visit bluecyp.com or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bluecyp.

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Downtown Doggie Center Offers A New Leash On Life

By Nicole Brand

dogs for the day or they can traverse the globe and leave the pooch to play with friends all the while. They even offer military deployment and reserves boarding options.

Whatever the need is, Tonja works to find the right plan. And though she is willing to work with a variety of doggie needs, if the pup isn’t a good fit for the team, she won’t sacrifice the pack to take them on.

That said, Downtown Doggie Center also offers training packages, which is perhaps one of their most impressive contributions on Downtown Doggie Center owner, Tonja Isaac, with a rescue the daycare side of business. named “Where” that she is working to adopt Tonja and her staff recognize that while some behaviors are same for rescued dogs with the based in personality, a human’s addition of an adoption process. best animal friend is generally Happy dogs aren’t the extent responsive to integrating with “Pitties are eager to please... If you want a of Tonja’s work at Downtown other dogs and even with other Doggie Center. Tonja often humans. sweetheart who will love your babies, that’s takes on work release staff from Her training abilities are the Pinellas County prison integral to their other bottom what they’ll give you.” - Tonja Isaac line—rescuing and rehabilitating system. She first checked into work release because two of the forgotten pups. In fact, one kids Tonja looked after entered feeds the other. She often goes to shelters and brings back dogs the prison system and Tonja wondered what she could do to to re-home. While she rescues all types of dogs, she recognizes make their integration easier.

At a time when she didn’t give there is an inordinate number people sentenced to prison of dogs labelled as pit bulls in much thought other than they shelters. She explains, “Pitties deserve to be there, Tonja are eager to please. If you want realized she never pontificated a snarling beast on the end of about those issues because she a leash, that’s what they’ll give never had to. Having it surface you. If you want a sweetheart in her own chosen family, she who will love your babies, that’s what they’ll give you.” Pit bulls or was forced to confront some of the plights of the prisoner. any type of dog that hasn’t been Right now, Tonja has two work properly socialized can display release staff members and two aggressive behavior. That’s why previous work release staffers the Downtown Doggie Center that have brought so much to works to socialize dogs that the business she chose to keep are having issues and does the

Perhaps most can think of a champion in their neighborhood who was always doing everything to improve the lives of others. In the neighborhood near Northeast High in the early 2000s, that woman was Tonja Isaac. If kids needed an extra snack, they went to Tonja’s. For a while, she took two carloads of kids to school every morning just to help. That compassion continues to play out in other ways as Tonja brings light to those facing disadvantageous situations. These days, she runs a dog boarding and daycare business that doubles as a rescue and rehabilitation center.

At Downtown Doggie Center, owners can leave their

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them on. Tonja makes her point: “They pay their debt to society.”

They serve their sentence, but then they are released and they can’t rent because landlords don’t want to rent to felons. They don’t have recent work history and they have to go through their supervisor with any potential new job. Employers don’t want that hassle or the often misunderstood and falsely perceived risk.

She understands the struggle they go through and as a problem solver, Tonja also sees a practical solution. Many of her work release and ex-offender staff have developed into integral parts of her business model. Andre, a former work release staffer will soon be heading a new department of special services. Don’t have time to take Rover to the vet? Andre is on it. Maria, another former work release staffer, has shown so much skill and potential, she will soon be training in professional grooming to expand Downtown Doggie Center’s in-house services.

Tonja’s business model has the beautiful byproduct of enriching society, and other businesses can do this as well. In order to

Andre, a former work release staffer and soon to be head of Special Services, with his rescued puppy Cujo take on work release staff, businesses just have to have workers’ compensation and a position for which the applicant is qualified.

Kennel assistants don’t need any prior training and the knowledge growth opportunities are huge, so the work release program fits perfectly with the Downtown Doggie Center! St. Petersburg has a lot to learn from the big hearts and bright minds at the Downtown Doggie Center. With what so many might perceive as a disadvantage, people like Tonja are quick to find community value and creative solutions.

For more information about the Downtown Doggie Center, visit downtowndoggiecenter.com.

For more information about the Pinellas Ex-Offender ReEntry Coalition, visit www.exoffender.org.

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Community Events & Local Happenings butter, chocolate chunk almond butter and salted caramel peanut butter!

When: Saturday, January Then mosey over to see 28th, 2017, 11am - 1pm GBM’s very own photographer, Where: Friendship Hall, 460 Kelly Nash, in the Family Village. Her booth is offering 46th Ave N, 33703 Come join us in a Free Isha to have your kids paint their own frames and take a Polaroid Beginner Upa Yoga session family photo to fill it! followed by a Veg Potluck.

Cost: Free, but please Through a synthesis of guided consider a (minimum) $5 yoga and meditation practices, donation upon arrival to spread the session will present easythe local love. Donation points to-practice yet potent tools to enhance health, joy, peace, love, can be found at all entrances.

For more information, success and inner exploration, visit the official website: helping one to cope with the hectic pace of modern lifestyles keepsaintpetersburglocal.org/ and realize their full potential in localtopia all spheres of life. Sessions can be attended by anyone over the Infinity’s Mardi Gras ages of 7. No physical agility or Madness Spring Fashion prior yoga experience is needed. Show & Charity Please bring a Veg dish to share When: Tuesday, February and a yoga mat.

7th, 11am - 1:30pm Cost: Free Where: St. Pete Yacht Club, RSVP to Noelle Morris 11 Central Ave, 33701 727-458-3405 call/text/email This exciting and fun event nmorriskw@gmail.com. will offer guests an opening ceremony, elegant luncheon, The 4th Annual live entertainment, Mardi Gras Localtopia mask contest, silent auction, When: Saturday, February cash opportunity prizes, and 4th, 10am - 5pm much more! Beautiful fashions Where: Williams Park, 350

by Chico’s will be modeled 2nd Ave N, 33701 by leading ladies from the St. Keep Saint Petersburg Local’s Petersburg community. This “Community Celebration of All year’s event Co-Chairs are Jackie Things Local” showcasing over O’Brien, Connie Smith and 200 of your favorite independent Rebecca Malowany. businesses and community Cost: Tickets are $50 organizations. (KSPL’s 5-Year per person. Group ticket Anniversary event). See KSPL’s packages are available as well story on pg. 5; and their ad on as sponsorship opportunities. the back cover.

Infinity also welcomes donated While you’re there, satisfy items and services to include in your hunger with a bite to eat the silent auction. from our friends at The PB & To purchase tickets or Jelly Deli Food Truck. They will make a donation to this donate a sandwich to those in important event, please email Info@InfinityStPete.org or call need each time a sandwich is Kay Brown at (727) 343-3850. bought. By the way - this is no For over 36 years, Infinity, ordinary PB&J. Look for flavors the League to Aid Abused like pumpkin spice cashew

Free Isha Upa Yoga Session

Children & Adults, Inc. (a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization) has served abused and neglected individuals in the St. Petersburg community. For more information on Infinity, please visit www.InfinityStPete.org.

Free Ghost Tour at Patty’s and Friends Antiques

When: Saturday, February 18th, 6pm - 9pm Where: Patty’s and Friends Antiques, 1241 MLK Dr, 33701 The SPIRITS of St. Petersburg/St. Petersburg Paranormal Investigation are hosting a free ghost tour at Patty’s and Friends Antiques.

Prior to each tour is a new investigation just to get in touch with our REALLY old friends, or in case we find someone new.

This is free and open to the public. The SPIRITS will also have booklets on hand for the Suntan Art Center haunting called “Spectral Musings”.

Booklets cost $3 each and support funding for SPIRITS/ SPPI. There will be three tours through the night, and each tour should last about 25 - 30 minutes. Tour times are 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30. The last tour closes the event.

Cost: Free To learn more about SPIRITS of St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg Paranormal Investigation, please go to our website at www. spiritsofstpetersburg.com or www.sppipinellas.net

For more events, visit, greenbenchmonthly.com If you would like to submit event information, please email editor@ greenbenchmonthly.com

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Anita Westmoreland (left) & Charlene Cobb (right)

Suncoast Safe Kids Honors City of St. Petersburg Employee

Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition named Anita Westmoreland as the 2016 Member of the Year. She was honored for her efforts in increasing water safety with area children.

As recreations supervisor for the City of St. Petersburg’s parks & recreation department, Westmoreland is heavily involved in raising awareness for water safety programs. She also developed new water safety programs, including handing out donated life jackets at various beaches and boat ramps around the Tampa Bay area and raising money to supplement free swimming lessons for every child in St. Petersburg who doesn’t know how to swim, or can’t afford the classes.

“Anita works tirelessly to improve water safety for children,” said Charlene Cobb, Suncoast Safe Kids chairperson and Sunstar Paramedics community outreach coordinator. “She is making extraordinary progress toward the Safe Kids’ mission.”

The Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition is led by Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, which provides dedicated and caring staff, operation support and other resources to assist in achieving our common goal: keeping your kids safe.

Nathan Beard

Confluence of Origins is a continuation of local artist, Nathan Beard’s Exit Music series.

In this series, Nathan uses masking tape as a dry resist representing conscious deliberation or will.

The serpentine gesture is meant to evoke the march of time and infinity, and is a visual metaphor for the energies at work forming and reforming all we see and experience. His paintings are personal meditations upon interconnectedness, the power derived through transformation Exit Music #53 (Awaken) 2016 and the nature of acrylic on shaped panel 82.5” x 48” consciousness.

Nathan maintains a studio here in St. Pete where he also lives with his wife and daughter in the Greater Woodlawn neighborhood. Locally, his work is represented by ARTicles Art Gallery and Custom Framing located at 1445 Central Ave, 33705.

Visit Nathan’s solo exhibit opening at the Highlands Museum of the Arts in Sebring, FL on February 10, on view through the end of March; and a solo-exhibit at Gallery 501, Howard W. Blake School of the Arts in Tampa this coming May. To contact Nathan, please call (720) 208-6020, email nathanbeardfineart@gmail.com or visit nathanbeardfineart.com and make sure to like him on facebook.com/nathanbeardfineart.

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Local Artist Spotlight:

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